Thursday 29 July 2010

The Smugglers Cave

I took the kids rockhopping over to the Smugglers Cave. It looks like no more than a crack in the cliff face from a distance, but when we slipped inside we found this tunnel, hewn into the solid rock.



t was very dark and we scrambled and bumped our way over the boulders with only our torches to light our way.

After a while the tunnel took a 90 Deg turn and suddenly ended at this shaft.



I told the kids that this was where the smugglers brought their booty ashore and stored it. The people in the house at the top of the shaft were in on it and used to use the shaft to bring the contraband to the surface on dark stormy nights when there was nobody about to watch their illegal activities. There they would load it onto carts to take to the mainland. And they never got caught ... until one day a young girl.....

I think that's much more exciting than being a service tunnel for the old pump that was used to supply water to the naval base, don't you?

7 comments:

  1. Go on Sue, get writing about it... you know you want to :-)

    Cool place. As you probably know, plenty of smuggling tales, tunnels and sites in IOM. There is something irresistible about smuggling when it comes to writers.

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  2. Sue?

    Is that short for Kate?

    ;-)

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  3. Oh dear... I'd received an email about someone called Sue just before posting that comment! Ignore me, it's still early... :-)

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  4. I'm Sue! And I'd write about it (but I bet Kate gets there first). Pretty spooky but amazing that the tunnel is
    still there and pretty clear of debris. Go on Kate, imagination at work now. Bet it was a lovely day out.
    Suemont from Lit. (note new blog address with peculiar name: Lauracea.blogspot.com)

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  5. Sue Serpent ...

    Yes, get writing it, Kate! Smugglers, wreckers, pirates, I love all that stuff. So you must write it for me or I'll steal your melons :)

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  6. I bet you really had your kids going, though!

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  7. It's pirate stories at bedtime now!
    :-)

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